


Heartbeat

by Andian



Category: What We Do in the Shadows (TV)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Post-episode: s01e07 The Trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andian/pseuds/Andian
Summary: "I wanted to save you!" Guillermo protested and Nandor let out a harsh laugh."You almost got us killed by the Vampiric Council, that's all you did!"You almost got yourself killed, he wanted to add. Wanted to scream it actually, wanted to grab Guillermo's shoulders and shake him to get it into Guillermo's head.(Or: Nandor's thoughts about what happened during the trial in front of the Vampiric Council)
Relationships: Guillermo de la Cruz/Nandor the Relentless
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	Heartbeat

They almost died today. Nandor couldn't quite get that thought out of his head. And not just because Nadja had been screaming at him about it for the last three hours.

"The sun, Nandor, it would have burnt us!"

"Not to forget that less than comfortable ride in that fucking box," Laszlo chipped in.

Nandor threw him an annoyed glare. He didn't need to be reminded about that part either.

"And for what?" Nadja continued "Just because you are too lazy to train a new familiar!"

There was a rebuke lurking on Nandor's tongue, biting and harsh, but when he opened his mouth, all that came out was "It took Guillermo five years to learn what exact type of virgins I like!"

Nadja rolled her eyes, seemingly intent on giving him another piece of her very loud mind, but for once in his damned unlife Laszlo proved useful.

"My darling," he said "How about we end this for today and retire to our room? You know, almost dying makes me super horny."

Nandor could see Nadja being torn between the opportunity for sex and continuing to scream at Nandor. This time sex won out and with one last glare at Nandor, that promised that this matter wasn't over yet, she grabbed Laszlo's hand and marched away with him towards their room.

Nandor let out a sigh of relief once they were gone. Quickly he left the library, making his way to his own room.

He hesitated at the door, contemplating calling Guillermo to help him get ready for his coffin.

Guillermo who also almost died today. Guillermo who was only alive because Nandor had...

With a resolute move he closed the door, staring at it for a long moment, not really seeing it.

There were many things he was afraid of. The sunlight, obviously, crosses and slayers and for things he'd never admit but still were true, he was also scared of losing Laszlo and Nadja and being completely alone.

In his almost 800 years of live after death, he had never been afraid for a human. Certainly not for one like Guillermo.

Just a familiar. Weak and soft and eager, always there, always helping, always with that damn smile of his...

With a loud snarl Nandor abruptly turned away from the door, fumbling around with the straps of his robe. He was tired, he thought, just tired.

It had been a long night, it could have been his last one even, and he was tired.

Just tired and angry cause he couldn't get the fucking strap of his fucking robe to already fucking open and...

"Do you need help with that, Master?" a voice said behind him. Nandor did not swirl around because he was a vampire and obviously he hadn't been surprised by the sudden appearance of his familiar.

Obviously.

Instead the hand around the strap stilled.

"It's fine, I'll do it myself," he said, not turning around to Guillermo. He could hear a shaky breath behind him, Guillermo's heartbeat quickening slightly, either anxiety or irritation.

Not as fast as it had been beating this night when the Council had discussed eating him. They'd have torn him to pieces, fighting over every last drop of his delicious blood.

Nandor's hand on the robe strap tightened.

"Are you sure? I could help you with-"

"I think you helped enough already this night," Nandor interrupted him, finally turning around to face Guillermo.

His familiar looked ... unwell. His hands, folded demurely in front of him were shaking slightly and his pupils were blown wide. He had been biting his lower lip again, judging by the teeth imprints on it and for one fleeting mad moment Nandor wanted to reach out and press the red marks back inside Guillermo.

"I was just-" Guillermo began.

"What you did was almost getting us killed by the Vampiric Council! We were so close to winning this trial if you hadn't told this nonsensical lie about killing the Baron!"

He could visibly see Guillermo deflate in front of him. His folded hand grabbed his wrist tightly, knuckles showing white.

"I wanted to save you!" he still protested and Nandor let out a harsh laugh.

"You almost got us killed, that's all you did!"

You almost got yourself killed, he wanted to add. Wanted to scream it actually, wanted to grab Guillermo's shoulders and shake him to get it into Guillermo's head.

You almost died tonight, he wanted to say. And it scared me; the thought of losing you scared me so damn much.

"Leave," he said instead, his voice clipped and short. Guillermo opened his mouth as if to protest again.

"Leave!" Nandor repeated, louder and Guillermo's heart, his weak mortal beating heart, jumped in fear. Without a word Guillermo turned around, closing the door behind him.

Nandor's fist clenched and he could feel something give as he was suddenly holding the robe strap in his hand.

"Fuck," he said softly to the empty room.

"Fuck," he repeated louder. In the old days he'd have gone out and slaughtered somebody now. Some good old-fashioned plundering and blood spilling to forget the complicated mess twisting inside his chest.

But it was daylight and there hadn't been any good pillaging in the last four hundred years and he felt tired, just so tired.

He finished undressing almost mechanically, opened the rest of the straps without tearing them off, opened up his coffin and climbed inside.

All without the help of Guillermo. He didn't really need his familiar. He didn't have any problems during those last few decades he hadn't managed to find an acceptable familiar either.

Really, he was good on his own. He would have done well on his own, even without Guillermo.

If they had killed him tonight. If he hadn’t been here anymore.

He stared at the lid of his coffin, eyes tracking the small imperfections in the red cushion even in the complete darkness.

If Guillermo had died tonight, it would have been fine. The fear, his fear, so sudden and unexpected, so disgustingly human in its desperation, had been for himself and nobody else.

Certainly not for Guillermo. Not for his familiar, so weak and mortal, with his heart that had pounded so hard with fear as he had stood in front of the Council.

It was completely silent in the coffin but for a moment Nandor could almost hear it beating again.

And if Nandor still had a heartbeat, it wouldn’t have been beating equally fast with fear. That his mind had been racing wildly with ideas on how to stop them, on how to save Guillermo hadn't been because of fear.

And the fact that in that moment in the dark hall with the echoing drum of Guillermo’s heartbeat all he’d been able to think of was offering their own lives so Guillermo's weak little heart would continue beating just a bit longer meant nothing.

Takes effort to train a new familiar, he thought, that was all.

That was all.

He stared at the coffin lid and did not think of Guillermo's heartbeat.


End file.
